Using arteries that surgeons had trimmed from 96 donated hearts prior to organ transplantation, Lusis and his team cultured cells from the inner lining of the blood vessels. To mimic environmental stress, the scientists exposed the cells to fats that incite inflammation and lead to atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. Then they looked at the cells' genes and compared their normal expression patterns to their activity under stress.

"The genes responded differently to inflammation depending on their genetic makeup," said first author Casey Romanoski, a UCLA graduate student in human genetics. "About 35 percent of the most affected genes were influenced by the interaction between their genetic variants and the fats."

"You can't effectively study genes divorced from their environment," she added. "The missing link lies in the intersection of genes with their environment."

"Our findings demonstrate that these interactions are important in humans and should be considered in genetic research," said Lusis. "Improving our understanding of the molecular architecture of disease may one day provide us with a new tool for how we address common disorders like cancer, diabetes and heart disease."

Source: University of California - Los Angeles